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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · stand · field · court · craft · land · rest · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — a country
  3. craft — a skill
  4. court — for sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. land — ground
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. court — of a king
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. craft — boats
  16. court — of law
  17. land — to come down
  18. field — for sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. field — a subject
  22. saw — the tool
  23. swing — music
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com